West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-10-06
UPRIGHTNESS.
DIR. TALMAGHs SUNDAY SERMON.
The Christian Should BE as Straight.
Morally, as Plumb Line.

TEXT; "And the Lord said unto me. Amos
whdt seeSt houf and I said, a plumb line.
Amos vii, g.
The solid masonry OF the world has 10 me n
fascination. Walk about some OF the trium-
phial arches and the cathedrals, 400 or COO
years old, and see them stand for centuries,
as erect as when they were builded walls OF
great height not bending quarter of an
men THIS way or that. SO greatly honored
were the masons who buided these walls thnt
theJ were free from taxation and called"freep
masons. The trowel gets most OF the credit
Tor these buildings and its clear ringing on
stone and brick has sounded across the ages
BUT there is another implement OF just as
much importance as the trowel and INV text
recognizes IL. Bricklayers, and stone masons
and carpenters, i'm the building Of walls use
an instrument made OF cord, at the end OF
winch lump OF lead Is fastened. They drop
~ over the side OF the wall, and as the plum
met naturally seeks the centre of gravity
In the earth, the workman discovers
where the wall recedes, and where
II bulges out, and just what is the perpendicu-
iar' Our text represents God as standing on
the wall OF character, which the Israelites
had built, and in that way measuring IL
And the Lord said unto me- Amos, what
seest thoul and said, A plumb line.n
what the world wants Is straight up and
down religion. Much of the so-called piety
OF the day bends this way and that, TO suit
the times. IL is horizontal with a low state
OF sentiment and morals. We have all been
building wall OF character, and it is glar-
ILngly imperfect and needs reconstruction
How shall it be brought into the perpendicu-
larf Only by the divine measurement And
the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest
thonf and / said, A plumb line"
The whole tendency OF the times is to make
us act by the standard of what others do
III they play cards, we play cards III thew
dance, we dance. II they read certain STYLES
of books, we read them. We throw over the
wall OF orr character the tangled plumb line
OF other lives and reject the infallible test
which Amos saw The question for me shonId
not ne what you think is right, but what God
thinks is right This perpetual reference to the
behavior OF others, as though it decided any-
thlng put human fallbility, is a mistake as
WIDE ms the world There are 10, COO plumb
lines in use, but only one is true and exact.
and that is the line OF Gods eternal right
There is mighty attempt being made to re-
construct and fix up the Ten Commandments.
10 many they seem too rigid. The tower OF
Pisa leans over about thirteen feet from the
perpendicular, and people go thousands of
miles TO see its graceful inclination, and by
extra braces and various architectural con-
Sivances II IS kept leaning from century to
century. Why not have the ten granite
blocks OF SINAI set little ashanti Why not
nave the pillar OF truth a leaning towerl
Why w ny Is not an ellipse good as a squarel
why IS not an oblique as good as straight up
AMI downl NY friends we must have a
stand ird; hall it be Gods or man'si
The divine plumb-line needs to be thrown
over all merchandise Thousands of Years
ago Solomon discovered the tendency of buy
erS TO depre late goods He saw n man boat
Ing down an article lower and lower. and saw
ing 1t was not worth the price asked, and
when he h nd purchased at the lowest point he
told everybody what sharp bargain he had
struck, and how he hal outwitted the NOR
chant. Proverbs Xxx, IA: cit is naught, it Is
naught' saith the buyer, but when he is gone
his way then he boastethn So utterly askeyy
Is society in this manner that you seldom find
seller asking the price that he expects to
get. He puts on higher value than he pro
poses to receive, knowing that he will have
70 drop. IL he wants fifty he asks seventy
hvc. And If he wants z, 900 he asks $500. ''It
is naught, saith the buyer. 1.-THE fabric fs
ueiectlve; the style OF goods is poor; 1 can get
elsewhere better article at a smaller price:
IL Is out OF fashion; it is damaged it will fade
IL VIII not wear welln After n while the
merchant, from persuasion or from de-
sire 10 dispose OF that particular stock Of
goods, says: "Well take it at your own
price" and the purchaser goes home with
night step and calls into his private Office his
confidential friends and chuckles while he
tells how that for half price he got the goods.
In other words, he lies and is proud Of ~
Nothing would make times as cool and the
earning OF n livelihood so easy, as the univer-
sal adoption OF the law Of right Suspicion
strikes through all bargain making Men
VINO sell know not whether they viii ever
whether the goods shipped will be I'm accord
ing to the sample and what with the LARGE
number of clerks who are making false entries
and then ascending to Canada, and the ex-
pioson or firms that fail for millions of dol
ars, honest men are at their wits end to
make a living He who stands up amid all
the pressure and does right Is accommodating
something toward the establishment OF n high
conllnerclal prosperity. have deep sym
pathy Tor the laboring classes who toll with
nand and foot. But we must not forget the
business men who, without any complaint or
hammered professions through the street ara
enduring stress of circumstances terrific.
The fortunate people Of TODAY ara those who
are receiving daily wages or regular salaries
ANA the men most 70 be pitied are those who
conduct business while prices are falling
aIld yet try to pay their clerks and employees
AMI are in such fearful straits that tba1
would quit business tomorrow IL it were not
lor the wreck and ruin of others. When
people tell me at what a ruinousy low price
they purchased an article it gives me moro
dlsmay than satisfaction I know IL means
the bankruptcy and defalcation OF men i'm
many apartments The men who toll with
me cram need full as much sympathy as
those who toll with the hands All business
ire rs struck through with susDicion and
panics are only the result Of want OF conf
he pressure 10 do wrong is all the stronger
from the fact that in our day the large btsi-
ness houses are swallowing up the smaller
the whales dining on bluefsh and minnovys
The lar2e houses undersell the small ones be
cause they can afford Il. They can afford to
make nothing, OF actually lose, on some styles
oil goods, assured they can mako It up on
Others 30 great dry goods house goes out
sde on us regular line and sells books at cost
OF less than cost, and that swamps the book
sellers or the dry goods house sells bric-a-brac
az lowest figures, that swamps the small
dealer in bric-a-brac And the same thing
goes on IN other styles OF merchandise. and
the consequence IS that all along tho
business streets Of all our cities there
are merchants Of small capital who are
IN terrific struggle 90 keep their heads
above water. The Cunarders rim down
the Newioundland fishing snacks This ig
nothing against the man who has the bic
store Tor every man has as large a store and
o. great business ne be can manage To
feel right and do right under sll this pressure
requires martyr grace. requires divine sun
port requires celestial reinforcement Vet
ther9 are tens Of thousands Of such mon
getting spendidlY through They see others
gong up aud themselves going down. but
they keep their patience and their courage.
'uu tnelr christian consistency. and after n
while their turn Of success win come The
owners ~ the big business win die and their
~ viii get possession Of the business aud
with q cigar 20 the mouth and full to the
chin with The best liquor. and bebiud "a pair
of spanking bays they will pas. everything